Guitar legend
diagnosed with dementia
Australian rockers AC/DC
have found a place in many
people’s hearts (not least
my own) over the decades
and are due to release their
latest album in December,
followed by a world tour in
2015. Not bad for a bunch of
guys whose youngest current
member, Angus Young (the
perennial schoolboy) is 59,
and whose lead singer, Brian
Johnson, is 67 this month.
Sadly, though, it has been announced
that founding member (and Angus’s
brother), rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young,
61, is suffering from dementia and has
had to leave the band permanently. He is
now living in a nursing home in Sydney
and will not feature on the new album for
the first time in the band’s history. A family
friend says that Mal has forgotten how to
play those famous old numbers like `Back
in Black`, `Whole Lotta Rosie` and `Big
Balls` as he has completely lost his shortterm memory due to the disease.
Mal had previously suffered from
alcoholic tendencies and took a break
from the band in April 2014 due to
illness, although the nature of the
current problem was not specified
in press announcements until his
retirement was formally announced
at the end of September. Of course,
although he and Angus were born in
Scotland, the Young family moved to
Sydney in 1963 and so have been
subject to Australian law since.
This is, though, a good time to remind
all our clients subject to English and
Welsh law that if you have Lasting
Powers of Attorney in place to cover
both your property and financial affairs,
and your health and welfare decisions,
then even if something like this
happens to you, you can rest assured
that your trusted attorneys will be able
to manage all aspects of your life when
you are not able to do so.
I do hope that Malcolm has the
Australian equivalent of a Lasting
Power of Attorney and that his family
and loved ones will be able to keep
his life running smoothly (albeit to a
background of rock ‘n’ roll) for many
years to come.
By Rebecca Haywood
27